Nervous, Checo? Sergio Perez crashes in practice as Daniel Ricciardo returns in Hungary
Two practice laps. That’s all it took for Sergio Perez to show – much to his own astonishment – how the Red Bull pendulum has swung ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. From a position of such strength three months ago off the back of two wins in four races, the Mexican’s spot at the runaway leaders in Formula 1 looks to be shrouded in more doubt as the weeks go on. On Friday, barely five minutes into first practice at the short and twisty Hungaroring in Budapest, Perez inexplicably clipped the grass and crashed heavily into the barrier at turn five. The shunt is a sign of the times. As much as everyone at Red Bull insist the 33-year-old will remain with the team until at least the end of his contract and the end of the 2024 season, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have shown they won’t wait. Patience is not a virtue adhered to at Red Bull. First, there’s been Perez’s own bad form. Since qualifying on pole in Miami at the start of May, he has not made the final qualifying session in five attempts; three of those have been an overwhelmingly poor Q1 elimination. Whilst the Mexican is second in the world championship, he is 99 points behind Max Verstappen in the same machinery. Results in comparison to your team-mate remain the ultimate barometer in F1 and right now, Perez is woefully short of pace and consistency. And second, here comes Daniel RIcciardo. The Australian, so forlorn of confidence in his final year at McLaren in 2022, is back in the sport having replaced Nyck de Vries at Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri. More significantly, the looks a figure completely rejuvenated for his eight months off. Having told The Independent that race wins and a world championship remains his ultimate goal, the popular Australian did not wilt when asked if a Red Bull seat – perhaps as soon as 2024, more likely in 2025 – was the long-term target. “It’s kind of another chance to make things better,” Ricciardo said in Budapest. “I think that’s why I was excited to get back behind the wheel and just kind of show my true self. Even the thought of that excites me. “Obviously the dream is a Red Bull seat. Of course that was my wish, but you need to be realistic, and if I want to get back into Red Bull it will be a process, and this is the best path for me at the moment.” That path starts with beating AlphaTauri team-mate Yuki Tsunoda in the remaining 12 races this season, in what is distinguishably the worst car on the grid. In his first running in 2023, Ricciardo was 14th in second practice on Friday, while FP1 earlier in the day was foiled by a few red flags and variable weather, rendering it largely irrelevant in terms of action. As for Perez, he was only 18th-fastest in second practice, ahead of an alternative qualifying format on Saturday where each of the three sessions will require a different tyre. Charles Leclerc was fastest for Ferrari, with Lando Norris second for McLaren and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in third. Max Verstappen could only manage 11th in a session which was difficult to read, though Mercedes really struggled – Lewis Hamilton was only 16th on the leaderboard and last year’s pole-sitter George Russell was dead last. A tough day to decipher. Expect Verstappen’s usual season dominance to return over the weekend, especially with a package which should improve the RB19’s already imperious aerodynamic performance. One element which was not hard to read, though, was Perez’s current anxiety in the cockpit. And a need to reverse his damaging slide, for his own sake, as soon as possible. Read More Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top Sergio Perez crashes out of practice in more woe for Red Bull driver Lewis Hamilton reacts to Nyck de Vries axing: ‘That’s how Red Bull work’ F1 Hungarian Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and FP2 results as Ricciardo returns What time is qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday? F1 2023 race schedule: When is the Hungarian Grand Prix?
2023-07-22 00:55
More woe for Sergio Perez as Red Bull driver crashes out of practice in Hungary
Sergio Perez’s torrid run of form continued at the Hungarian Grand Prix after he crashed out of a rain-hit opening practice. George Russell led the way in the wet conditions for Mercedes at the Hungaroring, 0.359 seconds clear of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll third and Lando Norris fourth. Only 13 of the 20-strong field posted a competitive lap, with championship leader Max Verstappen and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton not risking the possibility of damage. The first one-hour running of the weekend was still dry, and barely a few minutes old, when Perez lost control of his Red Bull and ended up in the wall. The Mexican put two wheels on the grass under braking for the fifth corner, sending him into a pirouette and into the tyre barrier. Perez was unharmed in the accident but he sustained significant damage to the front of his machine. Perez is under increasing pressure at Red Bull following five consecutive qualifying sessions in which he has failed to make it into Q3. On each of those occasions, Verstappen has scored pole position in the other Red Bull. Indeed, Verstappen, who has won eight of the opening 10 rounds and six in succession, has already moved 99 points clear of his struggling team-mate. Daniel Ricciardo’s comeback at Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri is also likely to be playing on Perez’s mind, with the Australian admitting he is daring to dream about the possibility of a return to the grid’s all-conquering team. For now, Ricciardo has a dozen races to prove his credentials. However, the eight-time grand prix winner was among those who elected not to set a timed lap on Friday. The red flags were deployed to deal with Perez’s stricken car and then the rain arrived. The slippery conditions caught out Carlos Sainz after he lost control of his Ferrari on the exit of turn three. The Spaniard spun across the track and grazed the wall on the opposite side of the circuit before becoming stuck in the grass. A second red flag was required as marshals assisted in helping Sainz return to the pits with front-wing damage on his scarlet machine. Friday’s concluding session takes place at 5pm local time (4pm BST).
2023-07-21 21:19
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Russia hits Ukraine's grain for fourth day and practises seizing ships in Black Sea
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F1 Hungarian Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and lap times as Daniel Ricciardo returns
The Formula 1 paddock returns to Budapest this weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the popular Hungaroring circuit. Max Verstappen is looking for a seventh grand prix victory in a row at a track where he won last year from 10th on the grid. The Dutchman is cruising to a third world championship this season, currently holding a 99-point to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in second. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Daniel Ricciardo is back – and this time he wants to go out on top Yet the biggest talking point this weekend is Daniel Ricciardo’s return to the grid with AlphaTauri. The Australian, dropped by McLaren last year, replaces Nyck de Vries for the remainder of this season and starts at a track where he claimed his second F1 victory in 2014. Lando Norris will be hoping to back up his strong performance for McLaren at Silverstone two weeks ago, a race where Lewis Hamilton finished third for Mercedes. Hamilton is an eight-time winner in Hungary. Follow live updates from the Hungarian GP with The Independent Read More Lewis Hamilton reacts to Nyck de Vries axing: ‘That’s how Red Bull work’ Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top Nyck de Vries breaks silence after AlphaTauri exit
2023-07-21 17:24
Like someone cut my heart out – Claire Williams on sale of father’s F1 team
Claire Williams said selling the family’s Formula One team is a grief that has been difficult to come to terms with, admitting it has felt like someone cut her heart out and never gave it back. Claire, 47, has been an F1 outsider for coming up to three years following the sale of the team founded by her father Sir Frank Williams to American investment firm Dorilton Capital for £136million. She resigned as de facto boss at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, while Frank – who extraordinarily took his motor racing team from an empty carpet warehouse to the summit of the sport – died a year later. “When I left in Monza it felt like someone cut my heart out and it has never been returned,” said Claire, in an interview with the PA news agency ahead of Williams’ 800th race at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. “You just have to find something to put in its place. But it was very difficult then and three years on, it is still really hard. “It is just one of those griefs that is really difficult to get over, or to come to terms with. Now we have lost Dad, it sometimes feels as though it was just a dream. Did that period in our lives really happen?” Sir Frank oversaw 114 victories, 16 drivers’ and constructors’ world championships and became the longest-serving team boss in the sport’s history. His story is made all the more remarkable by a horrific car crash which left him with injuries so devastating doctors considered turning off his life-support machine. Until his death in 2021, he was recognised as the world’s oldest surviving tetraplegic. Frank, who lived at the team headquarters in Grove, Oxfordshire, handed over the managerial baton to daughter Claire in 2013. She guided the team to a brilliant third in the constructors’ championship, behind the financial muscle of Mercedes and Ferrari over the following two years, before a lack of major investment contributed to Williams’ decline. A decade has passed since a Williams driver last won a race. “There was so much that went on in those last few years, which to this day I will never be able to talk about,” continues Claire. “But I saw the team through three very difficult seasons and I was able to hand over something that was still living and still breathing to someone with deeper pockets than us. We kept everyone in jobs, we didn’t go into administration and I am very proud of that. “When I have challenging circumstances I bury my head in jobs and when we sold Williams, my next concern was, where did Dad go? “As much as Dorilton were kind enough to say he could always live at the factory, I needed him close to me. And coincidentally the house next door to us came up for sale, so we moved Dad in. “I managed his care team. I made sure he was happy and comfortable in his new home and we went off and did some nice stuff together. He would pick up my little one, Nate, from nursery. “But then he got sicker, greater care was required to look after him and he passed away. But for the next six months, we organised this wonderful memorial service. We then decided to move house, renovating our old house in Ascot and our new home in South Downs. “So, I am the master of distraction. Life carries on. And as much as I miss Williams, and I miss Formula One dreadfully, there is a whole other world out there. You have to go and find happy elsewhere. That is what I have done.” However, Claire discovered her zen state is disrupted by watching the sport she loves. She will not tune in on Sunday to see Alex Albon and rookie Logan Sargeant scramble for a point or two under the tutelage of new team principal James Vowles – an appointment Claire said her father would have approved of – in Williams’ landmark race. “I turned on the TV to see Alex had scored a point in Australia earlier this year,” she continued with a broad smile. “Ted’s Notebook was on and Ted [Kravitz] grabbed James and said, ‘mate, congratulations, you are only Williams’ third team principal and you have got a point. How does it feel?’ “And I was like, third team principal? That is Frank, that is Jost [Capito] and that is James, what about me? Ted has just cancelled me on national television! “I may not have been called team principal but I operated that way and I have literally just been erased. I turned it straight off and vowed never to watch again. “But I tried watching the last race at Silverstone. I thought to myself, ‘Right, I am going to do this. Come on’. But I watched the formation lap and that was that. I lasted five minutes. “I don’t know what it is, but if you talk to any person who has worked, lived and breathed Formula One – no matter if that is for 20 years or 20 minutes – it does something to you. It absorbs you, and when you leave, particularly involuntary like I did, it is very difficult to watch it and not feel that loss.” Claire dovetails speaking engagements and “top-secret television projects” with her role as brand ambassador for Williams Advanced Engineering. Earlier this year, she launched the Frank Williams Academy in her father’s honour. The project aims to raise £1.5m to help educate and train those affected by spinal cord injuries. She also revealed Sky offered her the chance to return to the F1 paddock as a pundit. “It was too soon,” said Claire. “It is better when you leave, you leave. “Unless someone said to me, ‘Come back and be a team principal and you can have Williams back’, I don’t necessarily think there is a job I would want, but never say never.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Daniel Ricciardo dreaming of Red Bull return ahead of F1 comeback How does Max Verstappen and Red Bull compare to the greats of Formula One? Lando Norris ‘honoured’ to join Lewis Hamilton in battle for Formula One glory
2023-07-21 16:51
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Barbie’s here: 7 other fashionable films to watch
After months of hype, Barbie is now in cinemas. It’s had arguably one of the best press tours of recent years – with star Margot Robbie dressed as a string of real-life Barbie dolls – and has sparked a craze for all things pink. From the hottest pink hues to saturated shades of red, rose and magenta, the latest style trend — coined ‘Barbiecore’ — is here to stay. Barbie is the latest example of a film influencing how we dress. Whether it’s glittering costumes or Nineties minimalism, film often uses fashion to dazzle – or even give inspiration for your own wardrobe. When it comes to fashion, some films are a cut above the rest — where the style or certain characters have become iconic for a reason. Here are some of the most fashionable movies to watch… 1. Breakfast At Tiffany’s, 1961 No discussion of fashionable films would be complete without a mention of Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Hubert de Givenchy created the iconic black dress for Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, which she wore with strings of pearls and chic black sunglasses. With Hepburn’s sleek bouffant and a long cigarette holder perpetually in hand, Breakfast at Tiffany’s shows that fashion doesn’t have to be OTT to make a statement. Golightly’s style has truly stood the test of time, and is still being copied today. 2. Pretty Woman, 1990 Pretty Woman stars Julia Roberts as Vivian, a prostitute who falls in love with rich entrepreneur Edward. With Edward’s money, Vivian gets a whole new wardrobe, serving some of the most memorable fashion moments in movie history. The most stand-out look is when Vivian goes to the opera, wearing an off-the-shoulder red gown which played off Roberts’s auburn hair. While this is certainly the knock-out look, the rest of the film is full of incredible outfits; whether it’s the brown polka dot dress Roberts wears to the polo, or the chic white sun dress paired with matching gloves and a black hat. 3. Pulp Fiction, 1994 There isn’t much to say about the menswear in Quentin Tarantino crime thriller Pulp Fiction. John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson stick to suits which aren’t perfectly fitted (this was the Nineties, after all), with the occasional trench coat worn on top. However, it’s the women’s clothes which really shine. Uma Thurman plays Mia Wallace, who stood out for her androgynous tailoring and an interpretation of Nineties minimalism which still resonates today. With black cigarette pants and white shirts, there wasn’t anything not to love about Thurman’s outfits. 4. Clueless, 1995 Few leading ladies have a style as covetable as Cher from Clueless, played by Alicia Silverstone. Her fashion was the epitome of Nineties cool – we bet you can already picture Cher’s yellow plaid skirt and jacket set, or the Calvin Klein slip dress. It wasn’t just Cher, but the whole cast serving up some iconic looks – whether it was Dionne’s black and white top hat or Amber in a fluffy headband. This was a preppy take on Nineties style, with plenty of over-the-knee socks and perfectly matching ensembles. The film provided a fashion education to a whole generation; when Cher is robbed at gunpoint, she argues about getting on the ground by saying: “You don’t understand, this is an Alaïa!” who she calls a “totally important designer”. The movie might have been made in 1995, but thanks to the current obsession with Nineties fashion, we’re still seeing Cher-inspired looks everywhere. 5. The Royal Tenenbaums, 2001 In terms of fashion, Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot is the real star of Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums, with her fur coats, tennis dresses and heavy eye make-up. The film’s style is as eclectic as can be expected from Anderson – the quirky director loves to play with bright colours. Special shout-out has to go to Ben Stiller’s character and his children, who wear matching red Adidas tracksuits throughout. 6. Atonement, 2007 You might not expect a film of love and betrayal in WWII to make this list, but Atonement – an adaptation of an Ian McEwan novel – isn’t an ordinary war film. In a particularly pivotal scene, Keira Knightley wears an unforgettable green silk dress with a low back and sweeping hemline. There have been countless replicas of the dress made, some of which have sold for hefty amounts of money. Even though the green dress overshadows the rest of the film’s fashion, the other outfits are just as beautiful – as Cecilia, Knightley wears everything from a white bathing suit with matching cap to more androgynous tailoring when the film moves into wartime. 7. The Great Gatsby, 2013 It’s hard not to be blown away by the costumes in Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book. Set in the flapper era, the outfits are a feast for the eyes. According to The Hollywood Reporter, costume and production designer Catherine Martin was in charge of 1,700 vintage costumes, and she enlisted the help of Miuccia Prada to do so. With sparkles, geometric shapes, headbands and plenty of feathers, the ensembles were a modern take on Twenties dressing, adding a glamorous and almost otherworldly note to the film. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live The qualities to teach your kids that are more important than exam results 6 hacks for handling the heatwave at a festival How to make your clothes last longer, as research shows expensive doesn’t always mean durable
2023-07-21 15:30
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